Today's law enforcement officers have various means of technology at their disposal to perform their tasks. However, while technology has provided law enforcement officers powerful tools to perform their jobs, it has also added a level of complexity for officers on patrol. Officers are typically burdened with having to wear and maintain various pieces of gear while on patrol. This gear weighs down the officer, and the electronic gear generates heat which creates discomfort, particularly in hot summer conditions. Recently, officers have begun to use body-worn-cameras (BWC) to capture on-scene video while on patrol.
The BWCs used by officers are often paired with a separate microphone to transmit on-scene audio. The captured audio is typically transmitted wirelessly to a receiver in the officer's patrol car. The transmission of the audio from the body-worn microphone to the patrol car is subject to signal interference and signal loss when out of range. These limitations can hinder the use of such audio collection for evidence in legal proceedings.
A need remains for consolidation of wearable equipment and improved techniques to collect, multiplex, and synchronize audio recordings for law enforcement purposes and other functions.